Elser Family Blog

Melinda and Maverick at Palmetto stables.

Leighton, the owner of Palmetto stables, took some pictures of Melinda on Maverick, the horse M has been riding.

All of these are winners.

Running, fitness, and Joy.

I must say, I really feel good after running. I feel cleaner than ever after sweating then a shower. As it is, I seem to only find time to run when it’s dark, either in the morning or in the evening. You would think it would be dangerous to run at night, but as it turns out, if you roll your ankle and/or fall enough times, you figure out how to do it without hurting anything. I am completely comfortable running in just enough light that I know I am on trail.. and running down the wooded (but paved) greeneway that follows an old rail bed in the dark with the moon filtering though the trees is… Magical. Truly beautiful. Joyful. I mean, as I’m running I’m saying to myself… “This is like a movie dream scene..wow.” Sometimes there are little patches of fog (not even as wide as the path, “little”.) sometimes there are deer out on the path that just stare at you as you go by, It’s just magic. I wish everyone could experience it. Another thing that happens is your sense of smell goes to 11. I can tell when people are doing laundry as I run over manhole covers. Sometimes, if everything is just right in the mornings, I can smell animals on the trail, (or more likely their scat) Interestingly enough, It’s not unpleasant. I have been running for almost 3 years now, (3 in December) and the experience of having the trail to yourself and nature is really the best part. The feeling of fitness is an awesome bonus.
As I write this, It turns out Chicago received their largest November snowfall on record today, and I am reminded of, as a kid, going out and riding in ~2″ of fresh snow at night, snow that has not had any car tracks on it yet. While it’s still snowing. The silent kind of snow. That was pure joy too. Might be the only thing that beats this. I really am looking forward to my kids experiencing Both. 🙂

Holloween Halloween this is Halloween.

After COMPLETELY disappointing the girls, and missing a chance to see a intimate live performance of Rocky Horror Picture show Thursday. (We were 6,7,8 in line, and there were only 5 tickets left.. grrr.)
We tried to do some fun stuff anyway. Friday night, I took the older girls to a couple of abandoned houses. One was formerly a house of a wealthy local individual that died a year or so ago.. the family has not emptied it out yet, and its becoming decrepit.. paint peeling and wood rotting.. yet not a single window is broken. It is still a house. And therefore we were hesitant to go in. But we did anyway,,, just to check out the library! We took nothing and did no damage,, just looked around. We did not want to use much light, as to notify the person in the garden (guard) house that we were there…. So we did not get to see much. But it was still fun!

A little reconnaissance.. here is the library during the daytime though a window.

Then we decided to go to an old confederate cemetery in the woods in Beech Island. It is the private plot of the people that used to own the Redcliff Plantation.. sorta’ spooky!

Then we came back to North Augusta and went into the house down the street at 813 Georgia.. It’s been abandoned and gutted all the time we have lived here.. But you can’t tell from the outside! (Otherwise all the neighbors would have complained by now, right?)

Ghost call, it’s for you!

Then, Saturday night, after we all went to the biggest Jack-o-lantern Jubilee EVER! (38 special played.. what a crowd. First year they sold alcohol helped I am sure.) Melinda went to a Halloween party at a friends house. When I went to pick her up, a friend of ours, Chris Flecheck, was picking his daughter Raven up too. He decided we all should climb the huge dirt hill that is across the street from the party. I think he might have been drinking.. lol. But I am glad we did! It was fun!

Melinda was the first to the very top..

Friends join in.

All the girls gather, (or should I say stumble, because I don’t know if they ever got to a full standing position..) on the smaller hill. They were cracking up the whole time.